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Saturday, 29 March 2014

In which G.M. Norton goes potty and overindulges somewhat.

As a decent sort of chap and all round good egg, you
may not be surprised to learn that the old Norton of Morton mailbox is
bombarded with all manner of missives.

Keen to be given the Norton of Morton seal of
approval, quite a few of these electronic messages are from businesses who want
me to write about them and their products in glowing terms. Naturally, I
respond in my usual affable manner, advising them that I hold the
readership of this periodical in the highest regard and I don’t just give
centre stage to any old guff.

Well, keeping an open mind, I toddled over to their
webular gift site to give it a thorough inspection.

The online gift emporium has quite the array of interesting
and unusual gifts, all priced rather reasonably. So far, so good.

Armed with pen and paper, I proceeded to jot down
any items that caught my discerning eye. By the time I had finished, my hand
was aching and the list was running into several pages. My word!

The item that I coveted most was a rather
dazzling teapot. You may now be thinking, “But don’t you already have a teapot?”
Well, no. I’m afraid to break it to you, dear reader, but the Norton of Morton
residence has been teapot-less. I know! I can almost hear your gasp.

Keen to rectify this at once, I was practically
skipping when I collected the Regency Rose teapot from the local post office. Stood
outside in the pouring rain, I simply couldn’t help myself and ripped open the
box to reveal this beauty.

Saturday, 22 March 2014

In
which G.M. Norton hails a Hitchcock masterpiece.

Since I first foisted Norton of Morton upon your eager
eyes, I’ve made no secret of my admiration for Sir Alfred Hitchcock films. One of
my absolute favourites is the 1935 cinema classic, The 39 Steps.

Hitchcock really was the master of film-making, a
man who crafted stories that blended technical inventiveness with aesthetic
attractiveness.

The 39 Steps, which was adapted from a novel by John
Buchan, stars Manchester-born Robert Donat as the chief protagonist, Mr.
Richard Hannay.

Pencil

The handsome Hannay, finds himself wrongly accused
of murder. To save jolly old England from a master spy (and his neck from the hangman’s noose), he must flee the bright lights of London to the remote Scottish countryside.

Over the course of this thrilling film, Hannay
encounters dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents and of course,
beautiful women. Fortunately, to aid him he has the prerequisite stiff-upper
lip, plenty of gung-ho spirit and a rather fine pencil moustache.

Saturday, 15 March 2014

In
which G.M. Norton sets sail on a new adventure.

If you have followed this periodical of mine with
proper care, you will be aware that I like to put pen to paper. So when I had
the chance to write a little something for an exciting new print and online
journal, my answer was a resounding “Yes, please!”

The journal in question is Ernest, named after intrepid explorer, Shackleton. Founded by the
former editor of Pretty Nostalgic, Jo Keeling, it is described as a blog, iPad
magazine and biannual printed journal, for “curious and adventurous gentlefolk”. Unfortunately, I do not know all of my readers personally so cannot claim with
certainty that you, dear reader, are curious, adventurous or indeed, gentle.
However, I like to think you are, which is why I thought that I should bring Ernest
to your attention.

Saturday, 8 March 2014

In which G.M. Norton gets a little shirty with
you.

As a chap on a budget, thanks to the generous
donators at my local beneficiary boutiques, I’ve steadily amassed a wardrobe
fit for a gentleman.

However, there are a number of items sadly omitting
from my collection of clothes and I fear that my chances of finding them in a
charity shop is as likely as spotting the Loch Ness Monster playing a quick game
of water polo with the Abominable Snowman.

In order to obtain these key items, I have formed
the opinion that I will need to bite the bullet and purchase from vintage and
reproduction clothing emporiums.

One such item of clothing that I particularly covet is the tunic shirt with detachable collar. Such fine garments are the undisputable choice of the dandy with a bit of cash to splash.

Saturday, 1 March 2014

In which G.M. Norton celebrates a rather
special birthday.

It
is now a whole year since I first started cultivating my over-sized soup
strainer.

As
part of the first anniversary celebrations, I have made a short film clip using
a marvellous free app called Flipagram. A 15 second version is also available for your perusal on Instagram.

A
copy of the film will be included in a time capsule to preserve a lasting
legacy to be enjoyed by future generations. Other items in the capsule will
include a lock of hair from my lip weasel, a half-used tin of moustache wax and a Norton of
Morton calling card.

Regular as clockwork

Best Vintage Blog in the UK 2014

Manchester's Best Vintage Lifestyle Blog 2013

What-ho!

G.M. Norton is an aspiring English gentleman. Follow
him as he embarks on a journey befitting fellow quest seekers Sir
Galahad and Mr. Phileas Fogg in search of his holy grail - a gentlemanly
existence. Prepare to dance with death and fox-trot your life away as
he regales you with tales of sartorial splendour, jolly japes and
dastardly deeds. A rip-roaring adventure awaits.